EDITORIAL: The superintendent hiring game

In the wake of Gov. Chris Christie’s cap on the salaries of school superintendents, a number have left our towns for greener pastures in other New Jersey districts or out of the state.
The ensuing voids left some vacant districts scrambling to find the best qualified candidates for those openings and, in turn, created a monster process where secrecy and deception are fast becoming rules of the road.
Local boards of education have been less than forthright with constituents and, in some cases, keeping the new appointee secret until after voting them in.
According to these officials, the secrecy of the superintendent selection process is needed because of the wishes of the candidates being considered.
Allegedly, letting the public in on who exactly is being considered would possibly endanger their present jobs in their home districts.
The South Brunswick Board of Education went as far as denying the media, and members of the public attending a special meeting earlier this year, access to the very single-action agenda it was acting on until after the vote to appoint the new superintendent was taken.
Just recently, Monroe Township’s Superintendent Kenneth Hamilton was appointed to a position in Mount Vernon, New York.
Unlike districts in New Jersey, that district held its search in public and chronicled the four finalists trek through the process on its website, which included videos and documentation.
This is the kind of transparency our state should have.
It lets the taxpayers know who the final candidates are and gives everyone a chance to find out about their views and educational philosophies.
Despite the information being publicly available, when it was reported this week that Mr. Hamilton was appointed on June 27, it still seemed to come as a surprise to the Monroe board members we contacted.
Mr. Hamilton has not yet submitted a letter of resignation to the board or let members know that he was looking at moving to another district until the story broke in news publications.
It appears that his announcement will be made in public during the next board meeting July 23.
That meeting will likely also begin the process of finding a replacement when he leaves around Aug. 11.
East Windsor is also looking for a new leader after Edward Forsthoffer was appointed to the superintendent position in Bordentown earlier this year.
From Princeton to West Windsor-Plainsboro to Monroe and South Brunswick, districts have been shuffling superintendents out and in with a fury during the last 18 months.
No doubt several administrators from nearby districts will apply for these positions, possibly leaving their home districts without a clue as to their impending exits, or the expectation of a courtesy call from the hiring districts that may steal these individuals away.
As things are now, the process in New Jersey is neither transparent nor fair to those that pay the multi-year, six-figure contracts approved by the board.
We understand that board members are voted in to represent us and it is their decision in the end.
We also understand that looking for another job could cause some consequences for these candidates in their current districts.
But these issues happen to all working people and are not unique to superintendents or public employees in general.
We believe two things need to happen here to be fair to everyone involved.
First, superintendent search candidates should become public once they are down to the last few "finalists."
This protects those seeking a new job, but are not likely to be chosen, while it completely informs the district as to who is seriously being considered for these very important positions.
Second, candidates need to be up front and honest about seeking other positions and give those boards proper notice, at some point, that they may leave the district.
State laws should be changed to address these issues and provide for better governance of our schools.
These are not minor positions and the repercussions of a change in leadership can be significant to the districts, the students, and ultimately, the taxpayers.